From the history of the term Jumping on the Bandwagon to modern examples, we look at how the bandwagon technique is used to persuade and influence us, from politics to streaming platforms to conspiracy culture.
What is The Bandwagon Effect?
The bandwagon effect is the simple idea that people are more likely to go along with something if they think everyone else is already on board.
It’s a technique of propaganda which makes use of crowd pressure to influence and persuade us.
If something feels popular, accepted, or “what people like us do”, it becomes much easier to go along with it.
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The Bandwagon Effect: A Guide to Resisting the Crowd
- By Emma McCulloch
- Everyday Persuasion Articles, The Theory
- Reading Time 5 Minutes
Table of Contents
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The Origins of Jumping on the Bandwagon
There was an actual bandwagon – a horse-drawn wagon that carried a band or musical troupe for entertainment purposes.
In 1848 a circus showman named Dan Rice rode his bandwagon through towns carrying a presidential candidate and his supporters on board.
The showman urged onlookers to “jump on the bandwagon” — not because of policies or principles, but to be seen backing the candidate who looked like he was already winning.
Bandwagon Theory in Politics
The Bandwagon logical fallacy has become a staple tool of persuasion in modern politics, often framed as momentum.
“Most people agree…”
“The country is behind us…”
“This is the winning side…”
Opinion polls are constantly promoted not just to measure support, but to create it.
When voters are told a party is “surging” or “on track for victory,” people will often vote for them simply to be on the winning side, or to avoid feeling like their vote is wasted.
This dynamic also shows up online, where social suggestion and digital trends amplify momentum — explore this further in You Are Getting Very Clickable: The Secret Science of Suggestibility.
Bandwagon Propaganda with Covid
During the Covid pandemic, the bandwagon technique of persuasion was openly weaponised — often deliberately.
“The vast majority are complying”
“Most people are getting vaccinated”
“Everyone’s doing their part”
Compliance was framed as normal, responsible, and socially approved.
If everyone was seen as taking up the vaccination, dissent could then be portrayed as abnormal or dangerous.
This mirrors other contexts where behaviour looks “normalised” — for example in how blogging about fitness persuaded people to walk 10,000 steps.
Dry January
Another common use of the bandwagon technique being used in public health appears in alcohol-awareness campaigns, which avoid talking directly about health and instead emphasise what “most people” are doing.
These campaigns run ads showing office workers, football fans, and students all clinking alcohol-free beers under the line: “Join the millions cutting back this month.”
Campaigns like these often rely on “ordinary people” imagery — a tactic we explore in Plain Folks Propaganda: Hey, I’m Just Like You!.
Pop Culture and Entertainment
Streaming platforms actively promote popularity as quality.
“This show is everywhere” is often enough.
“The most talked-about series”
“Everyone’s watching it”
“You have to see this”
This is what everyone’s watching and enjoying, so make sure you join in.
Pop culture bandwagoning overlaps with other persuasive tactics, as shown in 8 Propaganda Techniques To Make Us Believe in Aliens.
Likes, Shares and Trending
Social platforms are bandwagon machines.
Likes, Shares, and Views are all measures of how many other people have engaged with it.
Once something tips into “trending,” the bandwagon effect kicks in automatically. People watch, buy, believe, or repeat things simply because everyone else seems to be.
Classical Thinking
Roman and Greek thinkers understood the bandwagon effect.
Aristotle’s idea of endoxa (“what everyone or the majority thinks”) treats commonly held beliefs as a persuasive argument precisely because they are already widely accepted.
In Rhetorica ad Herennium, the oldest surviving Latin work on rhetoric, widely held beliefs are presented as if they were therefore true, then used to pull others into agreement.
Conspiracy Thinking
Figures like David Icke continue with this tactic, and rely heavily on bandwagon language.
“People all over the world are realising…”
“This information is spreading fast”
“They can’t stop it now”
The suggestion is that belief itself is evidence. If enough people accept an idea, there must be some truth to it — otherwise why would so many believe it?
For a deeper dive into how conspiracy rhetoric uses psychological tactics, see Confessions of a Professional Conspiracy Theorist.
Suggested Reading
For a deeper dive into how conspiracy rhetoric uses psychological tactics, see Confessions of a Professional Conspiracy Theorist.
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